Colorado cannabis rules for visitors

Adults 21 and older may buy up to one ounce of marijuana flower in a single transaction at a licensed retail store, or the equivalent of eight grams of concentrate or 800 milligrams of THC in edibles and other products (1 CCR 212-3, Rule 6-110). Possessing up to two ounces has carried no state penalty since House Bill 21-1090 took effect on May 20, 2021, although Amendment 64's constitutional protection is written for one ounce. Adults may grow six plants each, no more than three flowering, with a cap of 12 per residence (Colorado Constitution Article XVIII, Section 16; House Bill 17-1220).

Any adult 21 or older with a valid government photo ID can buy at a retail store; a passport is on the accepted list and no residency is required (Rule 3-405). Use cannabis only on private property where the owner allows it or at a licensed hospitality business (the state lists 12 hospitality licenses, 10 at Denver addresses and five held by tour or transport operators); public use, use in any vehicle by drivers or passengers, and smoking in hotel rooms are off limits. Denver International Airport bans marijuana on its property, leaving Colorado with cannabis is illegal, and federal land, including national parks, national forests and their ski slopes, stays off limits. Out-of-state medical cards are not honored.

The regulator is the Colorado Department of Revenue, Marijuana Enforcement Division. Check any shop's license on the state license lookup before you buy.

Adults 21 and older may buy up to one ounce of marijuana flower in a single transaction at a licensed retail store, or the equivalent in other forms (1 CCR 212-3, Rule 6-110). The Marijuana Enforcement Division's rule sets the equivalents at eight grams of concentrate or 80 ten-milligram servings of THC, which is 800 milligrams, in edibles and other products. Several purchases from the same store on the same business day count as one transaction when staff know or should know you would end up over the limit.

Possession is a separate, higher line. Amendment 64, now Article XVIII, Section 16 of the Colorado Constitution, protects possessing, using, buying and transporting one ounce or less for adults 21 and older. House Bill 21-1090, in effect since May 20, 2021, repealed the petty offense for holding more than one ounce but not more than two ounces, and both the state's cannabis site and Denver's visitor FAQ now tell adults they may have up to two ounces.

Sharing is allowed but selling is not. The constitution permits transferring one ounce or less to another adult 21 or older without payment, and the state's cannabis site describes the gift limit as up to two ounces; homegrown cannabis may never be sold. Stores may also hand over up to six seeds in addition to the ounce, and topical products such as lotions and balms that are not eaten and are not psychoactive do not count toward the limit (Rule 6-110).

Local rules can be stricter. Amendment 64 lets any city or county ban retail stores, and towns set their own hours and zoning, so check the place you are visiting. Denver, for example, bans possessing or consuming marijuana in its parks, including Red Rocks, on the 16th Street Mall and the blocks next to it, and on city property within 1,000 feet of a school, according to the city's FAQ for residents and visitors.

You must be 21 or older, and a retail store must check for a valid government-issued photo ID twice: once before you enter the restricted area where products are sold and again before the sale (1 CCR 212-3, Rule 6-110). Nothing in the rules requires Colorado residency, so a visitor buys on the same terms as a resident. No one under 21 is allowed in the restricted portion of a retail store, the state's cannabis site says.

The accepted documents are listed in Rule 3-405: a driver's license, including a temporary license, from any U.S. state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory; a state ID card issued for proof of age; a U.S. military ID or other federal ID such as a permanent resident card or consular card; a passport or passport card; and a tribal enrollment card that includes proof of age. The rule does not limit passports to U.S. ones, so a foreign passport qualifies.

Expired cards are out. The same rule tells stores to refuse the sale when a person shows identification that is invalid or expired, and a store may refuse any sale (Rules 3-405 and 6-110). The rule also counts a valid and verified digital ID. Hospitality businesses check ID at the door, must confirm that every person entering is 21 or older and may not let anyone younger onto the premises (Rule 6-905).

Selling or giving cannabis to anyone under 21 is a felony, the state's cannabis site warns, and a store can lose its license for an underage sale. Medical patients aged 18 to 20 are a separate category that requires a Colorado registry card, and delivery orders to patients aged 18 to 20 are not permitted (Rule 3-615). A visitor under 21 has no legal way to buy cannabis in Colorado.

Private property with the owner's permission is the main legal option, plus a small number of licensed hospitality businesses. Amendment 64 does not permit consumption that is conducted openly and publicly or in a manner that endangers others, and the state's cannabis site lists sidewalks, parks, amusement parks, ski resorts, concert venues, businesses, restaurants, cafes, bars and the common areas of apartment and condominium buildings as places where smoking, eating or vaping cannabis is not allowed.

Property owners decide. The constitution says nothing in Amendment 64 stops a person, employer, school, hospital or other entity that owns or controls a property from prohibiting or regulating possession and use there (Article XVIII, Section 16(6)(d)). Renters may be barred by their lease, hotels can ban cannabis, and the state's guidance for business owners notes that use on a business's property may be treated as public use, which is illegal.

Denver spells out its version. The city's FAQ says you may consume in a private residence if the owner allows it, in a licensed marijuana hospitality business or in a licensed retail marijuana hospitality and sales business, and not in any place observable by the public or open to the public without restriction, including common areas, hotel rooms, unlicensed businesses, streets, transportation facilities, parks and playgrounds. Possession is also banned in Denver parks, on the 16th Street Mall and near schools.

The licensed public option is small. The Marijuana Enforcement Division's October 1, 2026 list shows eight Marijuana Hospitality Business licenses and four Retail Marijuana Hospitality and Sales Business licenses statewide, ten of them at Denver addresses and one each in Aurora and Arvada. Smoking marijuana inside them is exempt from the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act only where local law authorizes it, and tobacco smoking stays banned (House Bill 19-1230).

Plan on no smoking. Denver's licensing department says hotel operators cannot allow smoking inside hotel rooms under the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, and its visitor FAQ lists hotel rooms among the indoor spaces where you cannot consume marijuana in the city. The state's cannabis site adds that hotel owners can ban both use and possession on their property, so check the house rules before you book anywhere in Colorado.

Balconies are not a workaround in Denver. City law prohibits marijuana consumption on hotel balconies if it is visible from any public place, the FAQ says, and it advises asking the hotel whether it allows guests to smoke on balconies. Amendment 64 itself lets anyone who owns or controls a property prohibit or regulate possession, consumption and display there (Article XVIII, Section 16(6)(d)), which covers hotels and rental owners alike.

Private rentals follow the same logic. A house or condo is a private residence, so use there is legal only if the owner permits it, and the state notes that renters may not be allowed to use cannabis in their homes. The common areas of apartment and condominium buildings appear on the state's list of public places where use is not allowed, and Denver's list adds the common areas of buildings and facilities.

Delivery is narrow. Statewide, licensed delivery may go only to a private residence, which excludes schools, college campuses, public property and commercial property such as offices or retail space (Rule 3-615). Denver's FAQ allows delivery to a hotel only when the customer lives at the hotel and the hotel does not prohibit marijuana, and it tells stores to verify both before delivering, so an ordinary short stay does not qualify.

Colorado calls its lounges hospitality businesses. House Bill 19-1230, signed May 29, 2019, created two licenses the Marijuana Enforcement Division could issue from January 1, 2020, only with local government approval: a marijuana hospitality business, where adults consume on site but no cannabis is sold and which may be mobile, and a retail marijuana hospitality and sales business, which sells retail products for consumption on its premises. Neither may be issued for a liquor-licensed location.

The two work differently for a visitor. Denver's guidance says patrons can bring their own marijuana to a hospitality business or a mobile hospitality vehicle, but cannot bring their own to a hospitality and sales business, where they buy on site. Sales there are capped at one transaction per customer per day of no more than one ounce of flower, eight grams of concentrate or 100 milligrams of THC in products meant to be eaten, in servings of 10 milligrams or less (Rule 6-925).

House rules are strict. Entry is limited to adults 21 and older with valid government photo ID, alcohol and tobacco may not be consumed, on-duty staff may not consume and visibly intoxicated patrons must be refused (Rule 6-905). A hospitality business cannot operate inside a food business that holds a liquor license (Rule 6-915), and consumption must stop between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. (Rule 3-245). Unconsumed product bought at a hospitality and sales business may leave only if packaged and labeled (Rule 6-925).

There are few of them. The October 1, 2026 MED list shows 12 licenses in all, 10 in Denver, including Cirrus Social Club on East Colfax Avenue, Thunderbuzz Cannabis Bar on South Santa Fe Drive and MAMA on Wynkoop Street. Colorado Springs prohibits hospitality businesses outright. Denver accepts new hospitality applications only from social equity applicants until July 1, 2027, and a 2026 bill for temporary event permits, House Bill 26-1117, did not pass.

You may carry cannabis in a car, but not open it or use it there. Denver's FAQ says marijuana can be carried in cars but cannot be in an open container or cross state lines, and that it is illegal to use or consume marijuana in a motor vehicle. The state's cannabis site and the Colorado Department of Transportation add that neither drivers nor passengers may open cannabis packaging and use the product in a vehicle, even when it is not moving.

An opened package can bring a charge. The state's guidance says you can be charged with a traffic offense if the product seal has been broken, some of the product has been consumed and there is evidence it was used in the car. Because the rule covers passengers, it applies the same way in a rental car, a taxi or a rideshare. Keep purchases sealed in the store's packaging until you reach a private place where use is allowed.

Driving high is a DUI. Amendment 64 does not allow driving under the influence of marijuana (Section 16(6)(b)). CDOT's FAQ says five nanograms or more of active delta-9 THC per milliliter of whole blood gives rise to a permissible inference that a driver was under the influence, and that officers can arrest at lower levels when they observe impairment. A medical card is no defense, and CDOT puts DUI fines at $200 to $1,500.

Testing follows arrest. CDOT says anyone arrested for suspected DUI is required to submit to chemical testing and that refusing a breath or blood test brings increased consequences under the state's Expressed Consent law. The state's cannabis site estimates that occasional consumers should wait at least six hours after smoking up to 35 milligrams of THC, and at least eight hours after eating or drinking up to 18 milligrams, before driving.

No. Denver International Airport prohibits marijuana on its property, according to the City and County of Denver's visitor FAQ, and the state's guidance for property owners says DEN has banned the possession, use and transfer of any cannabis products on airport grounds. The state's travel page goes further: you can't bring cannabis to Denver International Airport or any other airport. Use up or dispose of what you bought before you reach airport grounds.

Federal rules govern the flight. TSA says its officers do not search for illegal drugs, but if an illegal substance is discovered during screening the matter is referred to a law enforcement officer, and the final decision on any item rests with the TSA officer. The FAA's 2022 compliance guidance letter states that the cultivation, storage or distribution of marijuana is prohibited on federally obligated airport property regardless of any state laws.

Leaving the state with any cannabis product is against the law, the state's travel page says, and its advice is to keep it in Colorado. Licensed stores may not deliver to an address outside Colorado, and delivery vehicles may not leave the state with marijuana on board (Rules 6-110 and 3-615). Colorado's protections stop at the state line; under federal law, a first simple possession offense carries up to a year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine (21 U.S.C. 844).

Federal scheduling changed in 2026, but not for this. A Drug Enforcement Administration final rule effective April 28, 2026 placed FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, and marijuana subject to a state medical marijuana license, in Schedule III, and it states that any other form of marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance. Cannabis bought at a Colorado retail store falls outside that change, so the federal rules on flights and interstate travel still apply.

Not on federal land. The state's cannabis site says that because cannabis is still illegal under federal law, you can't use it on federal land, including national parks and national forests, and that this includes ski slopes. In National Park System units such as Rocky Mountain National Park, federal regulations prohibit possessing a controlled substance unless it was obtained directly or under a valid prescription from a practitioner (36 CFR 2.35).

Two Colorado parks say it outright. Mesa Verde National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve each post that state law has no bearing on federal law, that possessing or using any amount of marijuana is prohibited in the park, its facilities and campgrounds, and that violations are punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Rocky Mountain's current compendium has no marijuana entry, so the federal regulation is the rule there.

Ski areas are off limits twice over. The state lists ski resorts among the public places where use is not allowed, and slopes on national forest land fall under federal law. The federal rescheduling rule effective April 28, 2026 covers only FDA-approved products and state-licensed medical marijuana; other marijuana remains in Schedule I, so simple possession on federal land is still a federal offense carrying up to a year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine (21 U.S.C. 844).

Tribal land follows tribal and federal law. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe's Criminal Code makes it unlawful to possess or consume marijuana so long as it remains illegal under federal law (Title 5, Section 5-7-102), and its penalty schedule sets a fine of up to $100 for amounts under one ounce. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, based in Towaoc, lists a CFR court on its website; the federal code for those courts makes possessing a controlled substance a misdemeanor (25 CFR 11.452).

Yes, but only to a private residence, and only where the local government has opted in. House Bill 19-1234, signed May 29, 2019, created delivery permits, phased in for medical stores from January 2, 2020 and for retail stores and transporters from January 2, 2021, and barred delivery in jurisdictions that prohibit other licensed marijuana businesses. Under Rule 3-615, the state issues a permit only after the store's city or county has permitted delivery by ordinance or resolution.

Few businesses hold permits. The Marijuana Enforcement Division's October 1, 2026 list shows 10 retail delivery permits, six at Denver addresses, two in Broomfield and one each in Westminster and Aurora, plus three medical delivery permits. Colorado Springs prohibits delivery businesses. In Denver, a 2022 council bill gave social equity transporters permanent exclusivity to make deliveries on behalf of stores, according to the city's marijuana policy history.

The address rules matter for visitors. A private residence includes a house, apartment or other dwelling where a person lives, but not a school, a college campus, public property or commercial property such as offices or retail space (Rule 3-615). Retail orders may come only from consumers 21 or older, deliveries run only between 8 a.m. and midnight, and a store using an online platform must confirm that no other delivery has gone to that residence the same business day (Rules 3-245 and 3-615).

Hotels are mostly out. Denver's FAQ allows delivery to a hotel only if the customer lives there and the hotel does not prohibit marijuana, and it rules out parks, restaurants and other public property; delivered amounts match what you could buy in a store. Each delivery carries a $1 surcharge that the store remits to its local government, and the driver's manifest must record the identification you present (Denver delivery surcharge page, Rule 3-615).

Yes, within limits. Amendment 64 lets adults 21 and older possess, grow, process and transport up to six plants, with three or fewer mature and flowering, and keep what those plants produce on the premises where they grew, provided the growing takes place in an enclosed, locked space, is not conducted openly or publicly and is not made available for sale (Article XVIII, Section 16(3)(b)). The state's cannabis site presents home growing as an option for Colorado residents.

A household cap applies. House Bill 17-1220, in effect since January 1, 2018, made it unlawful to grow more than 12 plants on or in a residential property, whether they are for medical or recreational use, unless local law expressly allows more and the plants are in an enclosed, locked space. A first violation is a level 1 drug petty offense with a fine of up to $1,000, and repeat violations rise to a level 1 drug misdemeanor or a level 3 drug felony depending on the plant count.

Denver adds its own conditions. The city's FAQ repeats the limits of six plants per person, three flowering and 12 per residence, and says plants cannot be grown outdoors in Denver; they must be in an enclosed, locked structure with a permanent roof and solid exterior walls. No more than 36 plants may be grown on non-residential property without state and city cultivation licenses, and homegrown marijuana cannot be sold to others in any form.

Children change the setup. The state's home grow page says that in homes with residents under 21, the grow area must be enclosed and locked in a separate space minors can't access, and that extra precautions are needed when young people visit. Plants may not be outside or openly visible. For a traveler, the only starting material a retail store may add to a purchase is up to six seeds alongside the one-ounce limit (Rule 6-110).

Retail cannabis carries a 15 percent state retail marijuana sales tax at the register. Senate Bill 17-267 raised that special tax from 10 percent to 15 percent beginning July 1, 2017, and at the same time exempted those sales from the regular state sales tax (sections 39-28.8-202 and 39-26-729, C.R.S.), which Denver's rate table lists at 2.9 percent on general goods. Local sales taxes and special district taxes, such as the Regional Transportation District's, still apply on top.

In Denver the total is 26.75 percent. The city's tax rate table lists a 10.65 percent Denver rate on retail marijuana, the 15 percent state rate, 1 percent for the Regional Transportation District and 0.10 percent for the special district, for a combined 26.75 percent, compared with 9.15 percent on general goods. Denver's tax guide explains the city rate as its general sales tax plus a special 5.5 percent sales tax on retail marijuana.

A second tax is paid before products reach the store. The state imposes a 15 percent excise tax when retail marijuana is first transferred from a cultivator, figured on the sale price or, between affiliated businesses, on an average market rate the Department of Revenue updates each quarter, Legislative Council Staff explains in its 2026 fiscal note on House Bill 26-1077. Excise revenue funds school construction through the Building Excellent Schools Today program, and the state collected $40.1 million from it in fiscal year 2024-25.

Medical purchases are taxed differently. The state's cannabis site says the 15 percent retail taxes do not apply to medical cannabis; Denver taxes medical marijuana at its general rate, and Denver's tax guide says the state imposes sales tax on medical sales, with an income-based exemption noted on some registry cards. In 2026, House Bill 26-1409 ended the 3.5 percent share of special sales tax revenue that went to local governments, starting in fiscal year 2026-27.

No. Colorado's medical program is for residents: the Department of Public Health and Environment says you must be a Colorado resident, 18 or older, with a qualifying medical condition to get a card, and the state's cannabis site says cards are available to Colorado residents and are valid only in Colorado. A medical store may sell only to a patient who shows proof of identification and a valid Colorado registry card or a documented new application (Rule 3-405).

Visitors with a card from home buy at retail stores like any other adult 21 or older, under the one-ounce transaction limit and with the 15 percent retail tax. A medical card from another state does not change where you may use cannabis, and Colorado's DUI rules apply to medical users too: CDOT says a cardholder who drives impaired is still at risk of a DUI.

Colorado's own patients work under different limits. House Bill 21-1317, in effect since June 24, 2021, caps medical store sales at two ounces of flower, eight grams of concentrate or products with 20,000 milligrams of THC per patient per business day, with a two-gram daily concentrate limit for patients 18 to 20, subject to exceptions such as a physician's certification. Denver's FAQ restates the two-ounce, eight-gram and 20,000-milligram figures.

The medical program is older than adult use. Voters approved Amendment 20, legalizing medical marijuana, in 2000, and the General Assembly created the Colorado Medical Marijuana Code with House Bill 10-1284 in 2010, according to Denver's marijuana policy history. The registry's application processing fee is $52, effective October 15, 2024, with a fee waiver for households at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, CDPHE says.

Going over two ounces is where state possession charges start. Possessing more than two ounces but not more than six ounces of marijuana, or not more than three ounces of concentrate, is a level 2 drug misdemeanor, and more than six ounces or more than three ounces of concentrate is a level 1 drug misdemeanor, under section 18-18-406(4) as amended by House Bill 19-1263 for offenses on or after March 1, 2020. That bill reduced possession of more than 12 ounces from a felony.

The sentences center on probation. For a level 1 drug misdemeanor of that kind, a court may order up to two years of probation with up to 180 days in county jail, or 364 days for a third or later offense, and a fine of up to $1,000. For a level 2, the court may order up to one year of probation with up to 120 days in jail, or 180 days for a third or later offense, and a fine of up to $500 (section 18-1.3-501(1)(d.5), House Bill 19-1263).

Public use and use in cars are separate violations. Amendment 64 does not protect consumption that is open and public, the state lists sidewalks, parks, ski resorts and restaurants as off limits, and an opened package with evidence of use in a vehicle can bring a traffic charge, the state's travel guidance says. Denver adds bans on possession in parks, on the 16th Street Mall and near schools, and says people aged 18 to 20 caught with marijuana in the city face a civil penalty, not a criminal citation.

Some mistakes are serious. Giving or selling cannabis to anyone under 21 is a felony, according to the state's cannabis site. Growing more than 12 plants at a residence is a level 1 drug petty offense with a fine of up to $1,000 for a first offense (House Bill 17-1220), and CDOT puts DUI fines at $200 to $1,500 before other costs. On federal land, a first simple possession offense can mean up to a year in prison and a fine of at least $1,000 (21 U.S.C. 844).

Buy only from a store licensed by both the state and its local government. The state's cannabis site says a marijuana business must be licensed by both before it can legally operate, and that a state license alone does not mean a business is open. The Marijuana Enforcement Division publishes monthly lists of licensed facilities; the October 1, 2026 store list shows 644 Retail Marijuana Store licenses and 268 Medical Marijuana Store licenses, and its Licensee Look-Up Tool checks a single license.

Licensed stores follow visible rules. They may not sell between midnight and 8 a.m., and local governments may set shorter hours (Rule 3-245). They may not sell or give away tobacco or alcohol, may not give away free cannabis, must post potency on a sign next to displayed concentrates and may not sell edibles shaped like a human, animal or fruit (Rule 6-110). Products come in packaging that is resealable, child-resistant and not see-through, marked with the THC symbol, the state says.

Local choices shape the map. Amendment 64 lets any city or county prohibit retail stores. Colorado Springs now licenses retail stores, but only at existing licensed medical marijuana locations, under city rules effective February 7, 2025, and it still bans hospitality, transporter and delivery businesses. Denver issues new retail store licenses but no longer issues new medical store or medical cultivation licenses, according to its laws page.

Any seller who is not on the lists is not legal. Only licensed retailers can sell cannabis products, and adults may give cannabis to other adults but never sell it, homegrown included, the state's cannabis site says. Rule 1-105 adds that anyone who buys, transfers or acquires regulated marijuana outside the requirements of the Colorado Marijuana Code is engaging in illegal activity under Colorado law. Check the MED list or the look-up tool before buying from any unfamiliar seller.